How to Make an Elmer Fudd Hat

Elmer Fudd hats aren't just for Elmer Fudd anymore. People like to wear Elmer Fudd hats with costumes or even as a fashion statement. The following instructions describe how to make an authentic-looking Elmer Fudd hat, but you can vary the look by using different fabric or adding embellishments. See the tips section for more ideas.

Things You'll Need

1 yard brown felt

½ yard red felt

½ yard heavy interfacing

Pen

Straight edge

Sewing pins

Hand sewing needle

Sewing machine

Bias binding

Preparation

Cut two rectangles each from the brown and red felt that measure 5 1/2-inches wide and 11-inches long. Note that you may want to adapt these measurements to your head circumference for an exact fit. If so, measure around your head and add 1 inch to that number. Then divide by four to get the width of the rectangles.

Mark a point in the center of one short end of each of the four rectangles. This will guide you in making the center point of the top of the hat. From this same short end of each rectangle, measure down each of the long sides 5 inches and make a mark along the edges.

Draw a line from the center point at the short end of each rectangle to the marks you made on each long side. Use the straight edge to make these lines.

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Cut along the lines you drew in Step 3. You should now have two red and two brown strips of felt that have a triangular point on one end.

Assembly

Place the two brown rectangles together, right sides facing in, and pin them in place along one long edge. Machine stitch, leaving about 1/4 inch open at the pointed end.

Repeat Step 1 with the two red felt rectangle pieces.

Place the two sets of rectangles together, right sides facing in, and pin them in place along both edges. Machine stitch. This will form the bowl part of the Elmer Fudd hat that will go over the head.

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Adhere the interfacing to the two small brown rectangle pieces according to the instructions on the interfacing packaging. This will become the bill of the Elmer Fudd hat.

Place the two bill pieces together, right sides facing in. Pin them together with only a couple of pins just to ensure they stay together while you do the next step.

Place the two bill pieces on a flat surface so that the rectangles are horizontal. Draw a curve around the inside of the top two corners. This will guide the curve of the bill. Cut around your lines.

Pin around the curves and the top of the rectangle. Machine stitch, leaving the bottom open.

Turn the bill right side out and pin the open edge of the bill to the hat, right sides together. Machine stitch.

Place the bias binding to the outside of the hat, making sure the bill is facing up toward the hat. Machine stitch all around the hat. Turn the bias binding under and hand stitch in place on the inside of the hat.

Tips & Warnings

You may add ear flaps to the hat as well. Follow the instructions for the bill, but make the ear flaps smaller than the bill. You can also line the hat. Simply make the lining in the same way you did the hat, and place the lining inside the hat before you attach the bill and the binding.